Meatless Tuesday

Yeah… I’m really sick of seeing this view whenever I look out of my kitchen door.

Don’t get me wrong- it’s not my backyard that I’m sick of seeing- it’s my WET BACKYARD that I have had enough of. But, I better get used to it- as there’s no end in sight to the wet weather.

********************************************

I meet with my awesome trainer, Ken on Tuesdays after work. He thinks of creative ways to kick my butt each week, but today was a little different. More on that later. The bulk of our workout was spent on the TRX (which is also what Ken happened to get Greg and I for a wedding gift. He’s trained both of us and knows how much I love/hate equipment like this.). I snapped a photo of Ken demonstrating one of the moves, and then he returned the favor.

Ken could definitely be the spokesperson for Vibram Five Fingers. He even talked me into getting a pair.

****************************************

Greg and I used to do “Meatless Mondays” all the time, which was a nice change from depending on some kind of meat as a protein for each dinner. Plus, I absolutely love vegan cooking- I just feel like it makes me so creative- but maybe that’s because most of my meals are not vegan.

(Side note- I bought Mama Pea’s cookbook the other day and read it from cover to cover within an hour of buying it. I can’t wait to start cooking some of her meals!)

Anyway. For the last two weeks, we’ve done “Meatless Tuesday.” Greg is definitely a carnivore through-and-through, but I seem to be able to make plenty of meatless meals that he enjoys. I bought this packet of seasoning almost a year ago and forgot about it until I happened to see it in my pantry the other day:

I LOVE chickpeas, but like almost all other legumes, I buy them dry from the bulk bins at my co-op and then hydrate and boil them as needed. It’s MUCH cheaper that way, and in my opinion, they taste much better! I used half of the spice mix and cut the recipe in half, but omitted the peppers and added zucchini and eggplant- topped with a little Greek yogurt to mellow out the spice. I served it with brown rice (and white jasmine rice for Greg). Also on our plates was swiss chard and roasted butternut squash sauteed in garlic, salt and cinnamon. It went with the Chickpea mixture really well, which had a strong ginger flavor.

I knew that since the dish was spicy, a sweeter wine would pair well. We happened to have a bottle of Red Table wine from a local vineyard and a Chardonnay that was surprisingly sweet open in the fridge, so Greg poured a glass of each.And even Greg agreed- it was all delicious!!

Dessert was a little bit of “ice cream.” Normally I follow the philosophy that I’d rather have a little of the “real thing” every so often (whether it’s ice cream or fro-yo) than some sugar-free/fat-free imitation. However, I really love both of these frozen desserts. Check out the nutritional content!

And yes- Arctic Zero really is 37 calories per serving. The whole container is only 150 calories and has almost 15 grams of protein. I’ve had the strawberry and chocolate peanut butter flavors, too. It’s good- much more like sorbet than ice cream- but definitely tasty.

The coconut milk ice cream is AWESOME. I stay away from anything that says “sugar-free,” because that usually means that it has some type of artificial sweetener. However, I have found that “No Sugar Added” means just that. And there is nothing artificial in this, as far as I know! It has a rich, creamy flavor and texture just like dairy ice cream. There are other flavors, too, but vanilla is the only kind of tried (Vanilla is most definitely my favorite flavor of ice cream!!)

I topped both with some fresh-sliced peach that I got from the farmer’s market the other day. I will definitely miss my fresh peaches after they are out of season!

***********************************************

Definitely time for some sleep. I make it a goal to be in bed at 9:30 so that I can get 8 hours of sleep (which rarely happens)!

Hi, I'm Lauren: 32 and living in the DC Metro area. I thrive on
eating organic, wholesome food and sharing food-related tips. I love
being a Spinning and Bodypump instructor, and have an equal passion for yoga. I strive to find the balance between eating, exercising & recovery each day. These are my daily thoughts- hope you enjoy them!

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.